As California Moves to Early Release, U.S. Attorney General Orders Stiffer Penalties

Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks to local, state and federal law enforcement about a recent spate of gang related killings on April 28, 2017 in Central Islip, New York. (Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memo last week instructing federal prosecutors to seek the maximum sentences possible. The order reverses Obama-era guidelines that limited penalties for low-level and nonviolent offenders. The federal policy change comes as California begins implementation of Proposition 57, a measure passed last fall that allows early release of those in prison for some nonviolent felonies. We'll look at how both policy changes could affect California and the ideological and practical contradictions they raise.